Let us embrace the idea no war is a good war. Today's wars kill more civilian women, children and men then enemy combatants. Wars in middle eastern countries cause civilians sufferings coming from several groups. The Russian & U.S. led coalition bombings. ISIS. Rebels. Various factions of so-called religious fighters and at the hands of government forces.
Depending where people live every country sets a day aside (sometimes several) to mourn the loss of soldiers and celebrate their bravery. Yet not one country sets aside one special day exclusively dedicated to the far greater numbers of peaceful people who've innocently lost their lives caught between the lines of battle. Those who's families, homes and lives were destroyed just because they happen to live in the wrong place at the wrong time in history.
Stanford University: Civilians 'suffer first, last and in the middle' during wartime scholar says-- "He noted that at the beginning of the 20th century, there was one civilian casualty for every eight or nine soldier casualties. With World War II, the ratio became 1-to-1. Over the last 30 years, the ratio has flipped: Now, every combatant casualty is matched by nine civilian deaths."
It's to these I hold most in remembrance this day.
Since this is supposed to be: A Blog About Anything & Everything I decided to put a few "Introspectives" I have on my mind out there.
Hard To Believe I hadn't really stopped to think about it but my step daughter has been a critical care nurse for over 15 years. Holy mackerel where did the time go. It seems like only a few short years ago she was going to Cedar Crest College. Now she's a senior nurse, single mother with two twins and home owner. It seems also equally amazing it will be 10 years in July since I've retired. It's a rather strange oddity that two years ahead may seem like a long time, but the past muddles with the reasoning of how time passes within the human mind. Kind of does make you wonder whether time exists at all or only consists as a series of human events. << Rather Einsteinian question :-)
Don't Click the 'X" I just read today that under certain circumstances a pop up occurs asking whether someone wants to install Windows 10. The author claims if you don't make the choices offered and simply click on the 'X" that appears in the upper corner Windows 10 tries to initiate installation. I long suspected these pop ups are not what they appear. More then a few sites I visit pull this popup crap. Whenever these happen I refresh the site. If it reappears I leave. Programmers can make these things do whatever they want. I long suspected what these things appear to do and what they actually do are far different. Same goes with all the kind of update nags. I suspect they upload more information then they are worth. The old "if it ain't broke don't fix it' applies here.
Trans Bathroom In Schools OMG your son or daughter might be exposed to someone else's human excrement or urine. How sexy. Here I suppose younger boys and girls both thought they had the same body parts. Ssssh let's keep it a secret until college when the parents aren't around. Laws are already written against those who grope or physically touch another without permission whether they occur in a bedroom, hallway or bathroom. Frankly I'd be more concerned about over amorous gay people in showers and bathrooms then some male or female who identifies with the opposite sex.
The Elections In short they're rigged by both parties. In my lifetime I've never seen such low blow trash talking. Over the many years I worked I've always said no one ever bid to move to another job because they wanted it. Rather it was to get away from the one they had. So it is with elections. People tend to vote against rather then for candidates. Few people have ever voted for a third party candidate because they thought that person didn't stand a chance of winning. Rather then voting for the one they actually believed in they chose instead someone who they believed were the lessor of two evils.
YouTube Changing The Face Of What Works I just got email soliciting me to join up for 99 cents over 3 months for premium content. This follows along the lines of all the other pay for content programming. Monetizing is a dirty word with me. I love singers, bloggers, vBloggers and other contributors on social media who do this simply because they love to do it. Slick polished content is a turn off. It undermines all of what made the internet great. People being able to communicate with others of shared interests with no expectations of profiting off of the damn thing. In other words, keeping it real.
Speaking Of Social Media... The internet was born many years ago by universities, scientists and engineers as a common means to communicate and exchange ideas. I have no great issues turning the whole damn thing into a marketplace enabling people to get rich. What I do have a problem with is losing sight why it came about in the first place. A means whereby people could learn things from others. 50% of the content on the net today consists of trash talking useless content by both those who leave comments and pundit biased news organizations. Another 45% or so are those looking to make money. It's that 5% or so that remains to sift through making the internet worthwhile. In my view this is what's making it harder and harder everyday for myself to learn things and pass them along. Almost like panning for gold.
This Is Supposed To Be A Blog A blog is what someone does to express those things which interest them and what's on their mind. Kind of a sharing themselves with others. That's what I've taken the time out to do today. It's also a place where others may be given an opportunity to share their thoughts. About the only reward (other then enabling one to speak) is to listen to what other people may think about what was said. As you look over this and previous posts you're invited to participate.
Lehigh Valley Live: Pa. charter school law is nation's worst, state auditor says-- "The Allentown School District was in a "no-win situation" as it fought the opening of a new charter school that had hired Mike Fleck as a headhunter to enroll students... "The appalling part of this is that under Pennsylvania's charter school law this is entirely legal," the auditor general said."
I don't know about that. I read lots of horror stories elsewhere as well.
Until several months ago I was adamantly against government having monopoly control over education. Since then I've had complete change of mind. Those were a few I came across on a search of Google for this past month alone!
Talking point #1: A number of these charter schools are affiliated with religious organizations benefiting from taxpayers dollars. This violates the spirit of the constitution defining the separation of church and government.
Talking Point #2: School leaders are either appointed or elected. The public has little say who runs or how these private charter schools operate.
Talking Point #3: Ultimately the public schools are on the hook when these schools suddenly fold up dumping kids back into the public system.
Talking Point #4: There is the matter of charter schools being able to cherry pick the least troublesome and from among those most academic in their performances.
Talking Point #5: It defies common logic a for profit (even if they claim to be non profit) can survive financially without cutting corners in some way.
Talking Point #6: It's one thing being forced to pay for government run educational services. It's entirely another matter being forced to pay redirected taxes towards some private institution (for profit or not).
For these reasons I'm no longer in favor. In years past if someone could afford to send their children outside the system that was a choice they made. These charter schools are no longer a choice being they are forced upon us. We can spin this anyway someone would like, but fact of the matter is taxpayer money is being used and redirected in a way it was never meant to be used.
At the end of the day, putting all financial considerations aside... Are kids actually getting a better education? Are kids able to attend the same schools as their neighbors they grow up with? Are kids parents able to influence the schools they attend (PTA)? Are kids mixed in with the social and economic levels they will have to contend with later in life? Are kids receiving uneven levels of education? Are kids being separated by different cultural, ethnicities and religious beliefs that differ from their own?
These are the things that concern me. I don't believe charter schools offer these same opportunities. This is why I've changed my mind regarding private education. Government run education may have it's shortcomings but it appears to be the lesser of two evils.
Alternet: The Numbers Are In: The War on Cops Is a Right-Wing Myth-- "According to the FBI, 2015 was one of the safest years on record to be a police officer in America. Agency data shows 41 officers were killed in the line of duty last year, a drop of 20 percent from one year prior... The year 2015 tied with 2008 for the second lowest death rate for police on record."
The so-called "Ferguson Effect".
According to Wikipedia, "A February 2016 University of Colorado Boulder study looked at crime statistics from 81 U.S. cities and found no evidence of a Ferguson effect with respect to overall, violent, or property crime... "
I checked this out. Most policies are capped far below this amount and wouldn't cover this kind of act in the first place. Although the apartment owner had insurance apparently his company went after her.
I have two thoughts here. Number one I never earned that much over my lifetime. Second thought is.. she'd been better off buying a home. Had this happened I very much doubt she'd be on the hook for that amount of loot even if her insurance denied payment. Something to consider if someone thinks renting may be a better financial alternative.
New York Post: Sears may sell its iconic American brands-- "The struggling chain is looking at options for its iconic brands — Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard — as well as Sears Home Services businesses as its namesake stores continue to bleed sales and customers."
I'm not about to try and explain how this works since I never thought of it. Besides Marilyn Lewis author of the article explains this so much then I could. This seems like a way to greatly increase a couple's Social Security income.
Basically it involves taking advantage of one another's spousal benefits over two separate time periods. Check it out.
Wow I'm sure glad I don't have food allergies. If I did I'm not sure I'd never trust eating out somewhere. One thing I'd be carrying was a epipen. That's for sure.
My step daughter is allergic to apples. She ate apple sauce and pies all her life. She was fine up until a few years ago when she developed one for some unknown reason. It almost took her out. Now she carries a epipen everywhere she goes at all times. Unfortunately she had to use it when she suffered a similar fate to the guy mentioned above.
Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea for restaurant owners to keep one laying around just in case. Sure beats the hell out of being charged with manslaughter that's for sure!
When I worked for a large apartment complex some forty years ago this was a annual event. Bathrooms with broken into. The porcelain fixtures smashed. Pipes clogged. The pool and it's filtration systems were filled with what-nots both then and throughout the summer..
I see things haven't changed much.
One summer several bushes were pulled out of the ground and thrown into the pool. Dirt from the bushes clogged the filters causing them to plug and overload electrical circuits. Broken glass is the worst. It requires a complete emptying of the pool. I had stones thrown into the backwash drain lines blocking some 10 feet of pipe. This required a excavation of under ground piping. Dozens of used menstrual pads put into the skimmer intakes blocking them too. Four or five overweight tenants jumped on the diving board till it broke one summer.
So pardon me if I'm not surprised when I hear this kind of stuff.
"... been convicted 3 times for drunk driving... NJ Transit said federal rules don't require a motor vehicle driver's license to operate a locomotive."
The Morning Call: Allentown's PPL Center not subject to real estate taxes, judge says-- "After months of hearings, Reichley ruled that the PPL Center and its connecting parking lots and restaurants are immune from paying real estate tax... Lehigh County and the Allentown School District have 30 days to appeal."
One Hellva Misunderstanding! This means $3.2 million a year in taxes won't have to be paid.
"After 30 years in Downtown Allentown, the state Department of Corrections announced Tuesday it is closing its Community Corrections Center later this summer... A majority of center's residents will be transferred to the Lehigh County Jail's work release facility, while some may be transferred to other state centers, such as Scranton or Wernersville in Berks County."
"Total attendances reached a record-setting 13.3 million, up 1.6% from a year earlier. Broadway shows grossed a higher-than-ever $1,373,253,725 billion, up .6% from a year earlier."
Yeah OK we like cruising as much as anyone, but really these ships and others sure do suck down a lot of fossil fuel. The oil they use is thicker then used motor oil. They burn on the open ocean what may be described as high sulphur diesel fuel oil which they aren't allowed to burn while in port. "Even when they burn low sulphur fuel, it's 100 times worse than road diesel." according to the article.
However these latest cruise ships are far more fuel efficient and less polluting then those built previously and a hellva lot less polluting then the 50,420 merchant ships plying the world's oceans. Take for example the cargo ship the "Emma Mærsk". It alone can burn up to 3,600 US gallons per hour !
A fully loaded jet by contrast can burn up to 700 gallons per hour of kerosene like fuel. To achieve flight level after take off requires about one year's worth of fuel consumed by the average passenger vehicle. The average number of planes in the air over the United States at any given time is around 5,000.
Point is.. Between ships and planes there's an awful lot of sometimes unnecessary pollution going on.
Either they want to be considered a cable news channel or not. CNN isn't alone. They like the other three cable news TV outlets should be called the useless 24/7 BS political propaganda channels.
'The Learning Channel' has become more like a so-called reality channel. "Syfy' like a B-rated bad horror movie site. 'The History Channel' has so little history it's namesake bears little resemblance to what they do.
About half of the other cable channels are doing reruns of movies and previous TV shows.
Point is, there are far too many channels having no real purpose for their existence. If an individual was unable to focus they'd be labeled as having a disability. At the very least a dysfunctional hoarder who had too much useless junk.
From time to time I like to feature YouTube musical artists. I don't know much about this guy. According to his profile on Google, "I like sharing my knowledge about Christianity, playing the guitar, writing music and short stories. I also like Cap'n Crunch a lot."
All his many videos can be found HERE. They consists of his views on religion, demonstrate not only his amazing guitar playing abilities but so too his many voice & vocal talents. I've posted the following videos hoping to share a few of those out of his many I most enjoyed watching.
You Gave Me A Mountain (Elvis vocal cover)
I Love A Copy Right uh, I mean Rainy Night (Eddie Rabbit play-along!)
Iron Maiden - Run To The Hills guitar play-along
Will You Save Me? (original tune)
He composed and performed (via midi & guitar) everything you hear
Pareidolia (may console ya)
Example of his view of religion. Yes the music and vocals are all him!
CHECK OUT ALL HIS PLAYLISTS Featuring over 288 videos including his original compositions, parodies & short stories
For weeks we've not been harassed. Unfortunately about five days ago it's become apparent our telephone number once again been sold to one or more telemarketers.
Forget about the state or federal 'do not call' lists they don't work. Last year the trade commission even held a competition seeking a solution. So it's obvious even they have given up.
I've used call blocking. Yeah good luck with that. These guys have dozens of phony numbers they each use. At one point I blocked 20 numbers and they still got through. I've point blank confronted them numerous times to no avail.
At this point we're getting from 2-5 calls a day after receiving none for a month or two.
Our phony baloney government could easily pass legislation requiring telecom companies to block them. Try and tell me a telecom can't see a couple of thousand robocalls going out per hour from the same company and not suspect some ahole's not abusing their system. It's all about Profits!
Allentown Patriots win legal battle with Mayor Pawlowski Randy Kraft , WFMZ.com Reporter
My Comments About The Article Above
In my opinion this mayor can't stand anything that has to do with Allentown before he got here from Chicago.
* He encouraged and supported the destruction of four square blocks of the city's most prominent business district. Most were privately held by small individual taxpaying business owners. The wrecking ball has leveled nearly every one. Most which have been converted to rentals owned by two or three developers.
* The well maintained historic elements of our parks have been allowed to fall in disrepair and deteriorate. What once were parks designed to find solitude are being turned into extended city playgrounds.
* The long held annual Syrian day celebration observances were banished. Fortunately Whitehall Township extended an invitation otherwise there would have been none in 2015. Ah but the Mayor actively participated and encouraged Polish day celebrations both last year and in 2016.
* Three swimming pools have been eliminated since he was elected.
* The mayor tried in earnest to shut down Queen City Airport so the land could be given over to development. Quite similar to what 'Patriot Park' will become if he has his way.
Does This Guy Like Anything About Allentown? It makes me wonder. If so why change everything he can get his mitts on?
Bethlehem has done everything in it's power to maintain it's history from the ' Burnside Plantation' it's downtown stores to it's steel making history. Easton's leaders have tried to maintain it's canal museum, Crayola factory and state theatre. Here in Allentown this mayor seems to want to erase all remnants of it's prior history. Instead we are becoming like 'little Chicago of the East' or an extension of the 'Big Apple'. A town without character where outside planners and political appointees drift through much like those they wish to appeal not too unlike themselves.
I'm not trying to bash this guy. Rather what he's done with the place since he got here. So too a town council who have largely done nothing to oppose these changes. A local government who stood on the sidelines while Allentown's history, character and soul has all but disappeared.
All The King's Horses And All The King's Men, No Matter How Much Taxpayers Money They Spend, Can't...
Items I came across recently in the news which interested me and thought maybe you too.
Lehigh Valley Live: BB&T closing two branches, cutting 87 jobs in Lehigh Valley-- "The company also announced Tuesday 241 job losses, including 87 in Allentown, where National Penn's headquarters is located at Two City Center, 645 Hamilton St. Another 154 jobs being eliminated are in Boyertown, where National Penn had its headquarters until 2014."
WFMZ-TV: Bank deals another blow to Boyertown-- "National Penn Bank was based in Boyertown for 130 years before the company relocated its corporate headquarters to Allentown in 2014."
The Morning Call: Allentown train ride to New York derailed-- "Norfolk Southern Corp. has made no plans to allow the one-time passenger trip on its tracks... a spokesman for Norfolk Southern, which owns the tracks and uses them to carry freight. "As of now, we have no plans for any excursion and we have no intention of doing one."
Lehigh Valley Live: Bethlehem district wants answers on charter's missed payment-- "The Bethlehem school district wants to know why its state aid has been docked after a city charter failed to make a state-mandated pension payment... Bethlehem Area Superintendent Joseph Roy said ... "Under the law, it defaults to the school district when a charter fails to meet their obligation,"
WFMZ-TV: Easton Area School District wants voting locations moved out of schools-- "The board meeting also dealt with an emotional issue for some parents who fear for the safety of their children on election day when schools that are designated voting locations open their doors to the public..."
New York Post: One of Broadway’s most important homes must be saved -- "In 1942, Oscar Hammerstein II stood on the porch of his farmhouse in Doylestown, Pa., looking at a herd of cows on the side of a hill. He was working on a new show with Richard Rodgers about the American frontier when a phrase occurred to him: “The cows on the hill/Are as still as the grass.”... And that’s how he wrote “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” the opening number of “Oklahoma!”
New York Post: Why US companies have started fleeing China -- "The Chinese government just shut down two of Apple’s key service products, the iBooks Store and iTunes Movies. It has also denied Apple the right to trademark the name “iPhone,” allowing other companies to use the name for their own, non-Apple-related products... Not long after multinationals showed up in China, they were made to hand over much of their technology to native competitors (almost all of which are directly or indirectly owned by the Chinese government)."
Reuters: Google faces record three billion euro EU antitrust fine-- "The European Union has accused Google of promoting its shopping service in Internet searches at the expense of rival services in a case that has dragged on since late 2010."
Alternet: Former CIA Agent: US Assisted in the Capture of Nelson Mandela-- "A CIA agent played a key role in helping South Africa’s apartheid government arrest Nelson Mandela in 1962, initiating the anti-apartheid leader's nearly 28-year incarceration..."
POLITICS
The Intercept: Democratic Convention Hosted by Republican Donors, Anti-Obamacare Lobbyists-- "Some of the members of the 2016 Democratic National Convention Host Committee, whose job is to organize the logistics and events for the convention, are hardly even Democratic Party stalwarts, given that many have donated and raised thousands of dollars for Republican presidential and congressional candidates this cycle."
Crain's New York Business: Trump qualified for a tax break for New Yorkers making $500K or less-- "Trump's income is low enough to qualify for a New York state property-tax break that most high-rollers don't get... To be eligible for STAR, a married couple must have annual income of $500,000 or less... The city's Finance Department said it checks with New York state tax authorities every year to make sure applicants for the STAR benefit have income under $500,000.
Alternet: More Mexican Immigrants Are Returning to Mexico Than Coming to the U.S.-- "Late last year, the Pew Research Center reported findings indicating that between 2009 and 2014, approximately 870,000 Mexican nationals arrived in the states. During that same time frame, an estimated “1 million Mexicans and their families (including U.S.-born children) left the U.S. for Mexico."
Items I came across recently in the news which interested me and thought maybe you too.
New York Times: ‘Hamilton’ Takes Steps to Limit the Resale of Its Tickets-- "... by capping the number of tickets that could be purchased per person... last-minute buyers must go directly from the box office into the theater. The hope is to reduce the role of line-sitters paid to camp overnight."
Bill Berenson (Fort Worth Juris Doctor degreed Attorney): Who is Liable When an Automatic Car Crashes into You?-- "The manufacturer might also be liable for defects, but might have a good defense that the driver ultimately remains responsible for controlling the vehicle."
POLITICS
Bloomberg: Wall Street Bets on a Democrat for the First Time Since 2008-- "Clinton gathered almost 70 cents of every $1 spent in the presidential race by employees of the six biggest U.S. banks in the first quarter, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Government based on Federal Election Commission reports."
Good Lord I remember when I complained tickets cost $25 at the Spectrum to see them at the height of their career (right after the light bulb was invented). It was when they were still working on growing their beards right after high school.
My, my... lead singer Joseph Michael Hill (Dusty- 67 years old on May 19, 2016) now qualifies for SS and Medicare. Nice to see seniors can still find work :-)
67 Year Old Billy Gibbons Interview Published On Feb 29, 2016
"Vh1 Rock Honors" Live 2007
The thing I always thought made clever good business sense, these guys never spent money on stage effects and dancers. Meaning they only had to split most of the take 3 ways.
Major recognition began with this video first released 45 years ago in 1971
